1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a boat or watercraft step with an improved support and retracting mechanism, and in particularly, to such a step having an enhanced spring pivot joint.
2. Description of the Related Art
In watercraft such as personal watercraft and boats, it is desirable to have an outboard step, which assists a user in boarding a personal watercraft or boat, e.g., from the water after falling off, swimming or water skiing. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,244, for which the present inventor was an inventor, a retractable stirrup having a U-shape is disclosed which pivotably mounts at its ends by means of two (2) brackets to the transom of a personal watercraft. A torsion spring has one end acting on the bracket and another end acting on the end of the U-shaped step. The joint is made by using a cylindrical sleeve fixedly mounted to the bracket and the spring is disposed over the sleeve. The end of the spring acting on the bracket is disposed in a slot formed in the sleeve. The end of the U-shaped member is pivotably connected to the sleeve by passing the sleeve through the tube.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,080 to the present inventor, a retractable step assembly for a boat is disclosed. The assembly is formed by providing tubes disposed at the ends of a U-shaped retractable step, which tubes mate in a male-female fashion with tubes which are part of a mounting assembly. The tubes connected to the step are rotatable with respect to the tubes of the mounting assembly. A torsion spring is provided at the joint formed by the male-female connection and has one end acting on the retractable step and the other end acting on the mounting assembly. This disclosed embodiment provides limited space for a spring, as does the previously-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,244. It is desirable to provide more space for a spring to obtain greater bias strength, and greater support for vertical and lateral forces and to enable the use of heavier materials, such as stainless steel rather than aluminum. Stainless steel is more durable, stronger and less subject to corrosion in a water or saltwater environment. In addition, it is desirable to provide a joint with greater durability and stability for use.